London, 16 May - US President Trump issued an executive order on Wednesday, May 8th, “to impose sanctions with respect to Iran’s iron, steel, aluminum, and copper sectors, Iran’s largest non-petroleum-related sources of export revenue.” These new sanctions take aim at “Iran’s revenue from the export of industrial metals — 10 percent of its export economy — and puts other nations on notice that allowing Iranian steel and other metals into [their] ports will no longer be tolerated.”

Iran’s trade figures with Europe’s biggest economy are shrinking and its key oil exports are faltering. According to Bloomberg, crude oil is Iran’s main revenue source and it has compiled for foreign ports in the first nine days of May.

The unilateral sanctions on Iranian oil exports tightened on May 2nd, when waivers that allowed several countries to keep importing crude from Iran expired. Now, the US aims to reduce oil imports to zero in an effort to pressure Iran to change its perceived malign behaviors.

London, 10 May - New US sanctions on Iran’s industrial metals will severely affect two of the Middle Eastern country’s most lucrative non-energy exports, according to Iranian government data.

On Wednesday, Donald Trump signed an executive order to sanction Iran’s exports of iron, steel, aluminium, and copper. It means that anyone involved in producing those metals inside Iran will have their assets in the US frozen and that any foreign financial institutions that help Iran to produce or export those metals will be subject to sanctions.

While supporters of the Islamic Republic, as well as critics of Trump’s policies toward Tehran, are doubtful about the achievability of the Trump Administration’s aim to reduce Tehran’s oil exports, “The White House has shown itself to be committed and determined to exerting pressure until it brings Iran’s oil exports to zero, “writes Harvard-educated Iranian-American political scientist, Dr. Majid Rafizadeh, who is also the president of the International American Council.

Iran plans to increase fuel prices, but the decision has been met with significant opposition even from members of the Iran’s parliament who warn that the move will create further unrest.

The move has been made silently and for good reason. The people have been under significant economic pressure over the past few years and a further blow could quite simply set the powder keg atmosphere off. Purchasing power has been in significant decline in recent times and inflation has resulted in the cost of basic goods sharply increasing.